Venus Williams reacts to video of Serena Williams' daughter Olympia playing tennis, says "practice makes progress"
Serena Williams' daughter Olympia is only four years old but she is already handy with a tennis racquet. In a video that surfaced on Sunday, Olympia can be seen hitting a backhand that would have made her mother proud.
The video, which was posted on Olympia's official Instagram handle, has garnered more than 340,000 views and even caught the eye of Serena's older sister Venus Williams.
The 41-year-old commented that watching Olympia play at such a young age reminded her of her own childhood, when the Williams sisters' mother, Oracene Price, served as their coach.
"It's Oracene all over again," Venus commented on the video, which was captioned with "Practice makes progress."
The clip was also shared on Twitter by Olympia's father, Alexis Ohanian. Several users retweeted the video, echoing Venus' comments.
"I know Serena Williams is her mom, but this is giving Auntie Venus vibes big time for me," one user wrote. "The early take back, the follow through. She can use qualities from both her mom and her aunt. Her possibilities are limitless."
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🏽 twitter.com/alexisohanian/…
I know Serena is her mom, but this is giving Auntie Venus vibes big time for me. The early take back, the follow through. She can use qualities from both her mom and her aunt. Her possibilities are limitless. 🙌🏽💪🏽 twitter.com/alexisohanian/…
Serena Williams also started playing tennis at the age of four
Serena Williams, just like her daughter, was introduced to tennis at the ripe young age of four. She tagged along with her sister Venus Williams for the latter's practice sessions in California, eventually picking up the sport herself.
The Williams sisters were initially coached by their father Richard Williams and mother Oracene Price during their formative years. It was only later that they trained under the supervision of Rick Macci, after the family moved to Florida.
In an interview with ESPN a few years ago, Oracene revealed that she would have preferred for her kids to start playing tennis at the age of eight or nine because of the physical demands it entailed early on.
But that did not mean the 23-time Grand Slam champion played every week from the age of four. Richard was adamant that the girls did not prioritize their tennis over other aspects of their lives, like education.
Serena Williams said it ensured she had a normal childhood and did not get bogged down by tennis too soon.
"I think the fact that I didn't play every week when I was six definitely helped out," Serena said. "I don't know if it's such a good idea for kids to be traveling the world. You get jaded and you miss out on things or you don't look forward to things that you should look forward to."
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